This course is designed to introduce students to the study of medieval
manuscripts and primary historical documents as well as to problems of
evaluation of the cultural contexts of their production, readership, and
use. This is not a course devoted solely to palaeography but will
approach manuscript studies and diplomatics from the point of view of
material philology, incorporating codicology, palaeography, traditional
philology, history of the book and diplomatics. Ancillary topics will
include issues of manuscript illumination, the preparation of modern
editions, current trends in textual criticism, the assessment of readership
and patronage, the development of libraries and literacy. The first part
of the course will be dedicated to readings on and discussions of topics
applicable to European manuscript production. In the second part of the
course students will investigate applications in their individual fields of
research and specialization. Lectures and discussions will be conducted in
English. Readings in English, Italian, French and Spanish and German
according to fields of interest. A knowledge of Latin is helpful but not
essential for the course. Preliminary syllabus will be available on:
oncourse.indiana.edu.